The day after qualifying for the final of the Coupe de France on 22 May has raised plenty of questions; here’s what we know so far!

Lens vs Nice or Nice vs Lens?

During the draw for the final four, it was decided that the winner of the first semi-final between Lens and Toulouse would be named the ‘home’ team for the final of the 108th Coupe de France final. Winners of the second semi-final, OGC Nice will therefore be the ‘away’ team… like it was against Guingamp back in 1997 when the team played in white. In 2022, Les Aiglons were ‘at home’ against Nantes and wore the club’s tradition Rouge et Noir stripes.

How many tickets for Nice?

Each finalist will receive approximately 19,600 tickets available for purchase, across various categories, that the club will sell via its ticket office in the coming days. All the conditions will be published shortly, and you can already sign up to receive notifications from the ticket office to be alerted as soon as that happens.

Via its own website, the FFF will also propose the sale of approximately 8,000 tickets in neutral seating areas of the Stade de France.

North end of south end?

The decision as to behind which goal (North / South) the supporters of the two clubs will assemble will be decided by the organisers, taking into account various parameters, such as how the fans will travel to the game. In the club’s two previous visits to the Stade de France in 2006 and 2022, fans of Le Gym occupied the South end.

Why on a Friday night?

It was back in mid-March that the FFF announced the final of the Coupe de France would be played at the Stade de France on Friday 22 May at 21:05 CET. The sports paper L’Equipe revealed at the time that this was due to the planned closure of public transport lines the following day for construction of the ‘Grand Paris’ transport network.

Extra-time?

If the match is all tied after 90 minutes, extra-time consisting of two 15-minute halves will be played, unlike in the previous rounds of the competition, before a potential penalty shootout. Les Aiglons have already enjoyed two successful shootouts en route to the final, against Nantes and Lorient.

An unprecedented final line-up?

Losing finalists in 1948, 1975 and 1998, RC Lens will be hoping to lift the Coupe de France for the first time against an OGC Nice who have qualified for the sixth final in the club’s history (3 wins, 2 losses). Not only is this the first time these two sides meet in the final, it’s the first Cup meeting between the two in 72 years! The one and only previous meeting between the two came back on 17 January 1954, when Just Fontaine and co. recorded a 5-0 win in the round of 64 on their way to the title.

And if Nice are in the Ligue 1 play-offs?

Currently sitting 15th in the Ligue 1 standings, four points ahead of Auxerre (16th and in the play-off spot) with four matches left to play, OGC Nice are fighting for their top-flight survival. If the club must go via the play-offs to secure its place in Ligue 1, changes will need to be made to the calendar because as it stands, the play-off matches are currently scheduled to be played on Thursday 21 May and Sunday 24 May. Matchday 34 of Ligue 1, the final day of the season, has already been moved to Sunday 17 May.

---